Steelhawks have bad day, can still qualify for playoffs next week

DONNA FISHER / THE MORNING CALL FILE PHOTO

Steelhawk's Pat Clarke greets fans after a play in the game against the Richmond Raiders in this May 29, 2015, file photo. Pat Clarke's 24-yard field goal gave the Steelhawks their 17-13 lead with 51 seconds left in the game against Trenton.

Steelhawk's Pat Clarke greets fans after a play in the game against the Richmond Raiders in this May 29, 2015, file photo. Pat Clarke's 24-yard field goal gave the Steelhawks their 17-13 lead with 51 seconds left in the game against Trenton.

(DONNA FISHER / THE MORNING CALL FILE PHOTO)

The Lehigh Valley Steelhawks picked a bad time to play a bad game. And their coach concurred that the team's performance in a 48-31 loss to Trenton on Saturday night at the PPL Center was "very disappointing."

With a berth in the Professional Indoor Football League playoffs at stake, the Steelhawks (6-4 overall, 5-4 PIFL) allowed Trenton (6-4, 6-4) to roll up 21 unanswered points over the second and third quarters and they never seriously challenged in the fourth period.

"We knew if we won we'd be in the playoffs and we knew we'd still have an opportunity to host a playoff game," said Sellars, who took over the head coaching duties after Chris Thompson left the sideline when his wife went into labor during the fourth quarter.

"It's very disappointing. We didn't play the way we wanted to, that's for sure."

Lehigh Valley can still qualify for the four-team PIFL playoffs with a win next week in Alabama. But a win Saturday night and a win over the 2-6 Hammers would have guaranteed the 'Hawks another home game.

"We didn't play very well," quarterback Shane McSweeny said, "and this was a big game for us. It just was not a good effort."

Trenton, which lost to the Steelhawks 54-51 on April 25 in New Jersey, scored 14 points in the final 22 seconds of the first half to take a 27-17 lead.

Things then went from bad to worse for the Steelhawks after the 20-minute intermission.

Their first drive of the second half stalled on fourth-and-1, then they allowed a 29-yard bomb from Steve Panasuk to Antonio Allen on Trenton's first offensive play from scrimmage in the third quarter.

The Freedom led 34-17 at that point and the shocked Steelhawks were forced to play catch-up, unsuccessfully, the rest of the contest.

"We've had some troubles on the first couple plays in the second half before," Sellars said, "and that's on us as a coaching staff to have our guys ready to go out of halftime."

Lehigh Valley battled back within 10 points of Trenton midway through the third on McSweeny's third touchdown run of the game, but the Steelhawks yielded back-to-back TDs as the Freedom put it out of reach.

McSweeny passed for 150 yards — he completed only 14 of 31 passes — and ran for another 39 yards before he was replaced by Zach Zulli. Panasuk threw for 239 yards and six scores for Trenton.

"We had a really good week of practice," McSweeny said. "But the last two home games here [both losses] we've really struggled on offense. Our defense is playing great and I feel bad for those guys. We're not doing our part on offense."

The Steelhawks were all set to head into halftime down to Trenton 20-17.

But, disaster struck on the final play of the first half. McSweeny was sacked, the ball was jarred loose and it was batted, kicked and bounced all the way to the back of the end zone. There, the Freedom's Vaughn Carraway recovered for a touchdown as time expired and Trenton opened a much more advantageous 10-point lead at intermission.

Those seven points came only 22 seconds after Trenton took its three-point advantage. Actually, the Steelhawks led 17-13 until that point and played solid defense against the PIFL's third-ranked offense.

It all came undone quickly, however.

"I'm not going to say how I really felt about that play," McSweeny said of the fumble turned into a Trenton touchdown. "But that's not how you want to go into halftime, I'll say that. I felt like it was a horse collar but it's not my call."

Lehigh Valley's first two touchdowns came thanks to the legs of McSweeny and the fine blocking of his offensive line. He scored on an 8-yarder for the first points with 7:03 left in the first quarter, then dove into the front corner of the end zone from 6 yards out with 9:11 remaining before halftime.

Pat Clarke's 24-yard field goal gave the Steelhawks their 17-13 lead with 51 seconds left.